Charge laid in crash that severely injured B.C girl

Charges have been laid against a 21-year-old Greater Victoria woman who struck and severely injured a young girl in a marked Saanich crosswalk last December.

Tenessa Rayann Lyric Nikirk from North Saanich has been charged with one count of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing bodily harm in relation to the incident on Ash Road in December.

Leila Bui, 11 years old at the time, was put into a medically induced coma after she was hit by the driver of a Mercedes SUV in front of her home.

The girl’s grandfather, Andy Bui, said she was crossing the street to be picked up for a ride to school. The Grade 6 student at Arbutus Global Middle School was rushed by ambulance to Victoria General Hospital with life-threatening injuries.

Early on in her recovery, Bui went through at least nine surgeries, including a craniectomy to relieve pressure on the brain. She was later transferred to B.C. Children’s Hospital in Vancouver before coming home in June, six months after the incident.

The District of Saanich released a statement a few days after the crash saying the pedestrian crossing and intersection at Ash and Torquay were already scheduled to be reviewed in early 2018.

Nikirk will make her next court appearance in Victoria on Nov. 7.

A number of residents in Saanich have since come together to push for increased traffic safety along Ash Road, including meeting with local officials and asking ICBC to audit the road.